


i can only take you in small doses(small doses)

by muslimsmoak



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Light Smut, One Shot, Sexual Tension, UST, rival CEOs au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-16 17:50:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14815988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muslimsmoak/pseuds/muslimsmoak
Summary: Oliver Queen is the CEO of his family company, Queen Consolidated, which is nearly reaching bankruptcy. Due to that very reason, Felicity Smoak, the youngest CEO of her own company, Smoak Technologies, comes to Starling City to buy QC from Mr. Queen’s hands. Their hate for each other is mutual at the very beginning, but after working together for three months, they quickly discover the hate might be slowly crossing a different line.Based on the rival CEOs au gifset here





	i can only take you in small doses(small doses)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miasmoak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miasmoak/gifts).



> Okay, so if you follow me on twitter, you saw that I posted a teaser of a one-shot that's been dedicated to my friend Sara as a birthday present. So you know I waited until after Ramadan to finish it up cos there were certain scenes I couldn't write during that time. And I'm sure you're all aware that it's after Ramadan now, so here we are. The completed 13k Rival CEOs AU one-shot is complete and finally ready for you all to read. I hope you enjoy it. Also, a huge thank you to Ari and Elle for always being a great help.

The singular tapping of sharp, vibrant red painted fingernails echoed against the glass table throughout the conference room as investors, board members, and other important personnel sat waiting for the arrival of the ever-tardy CEO. The perpetrator of the noise belonged to a one Felicity Smoak, certified MENSA-level genius, 2nd place champion of the National Information Technology competition, MIT graduate of 2009 with a double master’s in Cyber Security and Computer Sciences at the young age of 19, and now CEO of her own tech-based company Smoak Tech sat at her seat agitated, impatiently waiting for the arrival of Queen Consolidated’s CEO, Oliver Queen to begin their meeting on the company’s quarterly earnings and where to proceed from then on.

Queen Consolidated was once the leading company in Starling City under Robert Queen, Oliver’s father. In 2008 after a freak thunderstorm in the North China storm, Robert Queen was lost at sea, leaving behind his wife, daughter, and son. Soon after, the company faltered as stocks plummeted and investors backed out, not wanting to risk their money in a company undergoing a drastic change in leadership. The company’s CFO Walter Steele took over CEO temporarily, waiting for the prodigal son to take over his father’s legacy.

Oliver gave up his hedonistic lifestyle shortly after the death of his father and grew up, having to be there for his mother and sister as they grieved the loss of Robert together. Grieving his father and feeling the pressures of upholding his legacy, Oliver fell off the wagon, so to say. It was the help of his family as well as his housekeeper and second mother Raisa, and his bodyguard and close friend John Diggle that brought him back from the edge. Feeling ready to take over, Oliver took up the position as CEO and Steele back as CFO guiding him along the way.

Despite having completed his degree in business, the company still struggled under Oliver’s leadership. Deeply in debt from unsuccessful ventures and not wanting to lose his family’s company, Oliver had to resort to desperate measures, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He wasn’t going to give up on the company just yet, he knew he could bring QC to the same, if not higher, heights of success it once was. Throughout the last few months, a committee to represent the best interests of the company’s creditors, shareholders, and board members.

The committee is where Miss Smoak came in. After graduating from MIT, she went on to work for Kord Industries in the IT department but left the company to start her own shortly after Kord was bought and made a subsidiary under Wayne Enterprises. She moved to National City to start Smoak Tech. At first, they were consultants, testing current security measures at companies, finding flaws or backdoors that could make them vulnerable to hackers, and upgrading them with their own security software and firewall programs. The company soon branched out of the consulting business and moved to hardware when Luthor Corp’s CEO Lena Luthor saw potential in this small but up-and-coming company and collaborated with Felicity in the development of nanotechnology for medical practices. Felicity and Lena formed a fast friendship working alongside each other and bonded over their love for their work, their shared alumnus MIT, their takeout choices, and their sometimes difficult relationship with their mother. The companies greatly profited off the success of their nanotechnology, giving Smoak Tech the publicity it needed to expand and branch out, and Luthor Corp the press to draw attention away from the other members of the Luthor family.

After their first collaboration, the two decided that their nanotech project would not be their only endeavor, Smoak Tech and Luthor Corp often teamed up on multiple projects, even creating a scholarship program for young girls in the STEM fields and a summer science, space for Felicity since she never got to go when she was a child and cried in her room for days, camp where she, Lena, and other female employees and other promising women in STEM were counselors to middle school girls, teaching them how to code, working on small engineering projects together, and basically just putting their minds to work in an educational but still creative and entertaining way. In between their own projects, the two still met every now and then for regular lunch dates and wine nights. It was at one of their lunch dates where Felicity saw the news about Queen Consolidated filing for bankruptcy, she knew buying QC or even getting herself involved in their struggle to stay afloat was a risky venture, but Lena had convinced her to take the plunge.

The thriving success of Smoak Tech’s and Luthor Corp’s collaborations brought Felicity’s company further into the spotlighting, to the point of garnering attention from a rather unsavory side of humanity. For every successful woman, there lies a group of men, and even women against her in every way, shape, or form. Felicity had leaned on Lena for support, she knew better than most what it was like to receive such a vitriol of hate against her and her work. She had even gone out of her way to find a trustworthy bodyguard for her, a Miss Dinah Drake. Dinah was one of the finest at Central City’s Police Academy, going on to work undercover for CCPD and successfully took down the reigning gang, the Pilgrims, and their operation, but at the cost of her partner’s life. After her undercover assignment, she resigned from police work and moved to private security. Word got around and Dinah found herself at the employ of Felicity and in the company of her and Lena. Not only was Dinah Felicity’s bodyguard, but she was also Smoak Tech’s head of security. The majority of the employees of Smoak Tech were women and Felicity, Lena, and Dinah thought it best to do everything in their power to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

That was how Felicity found herself here, in this conference room, impatiently awaiting the arrival of their CEO so their morning meeting could finally start. While Smoak Tech was still based in National City, Felicity rented a small townhouse on a temporary lease until the QC business resolved itself and make trips every now and then when a simple teleconference wasn’t enough to handle Smoak Tech’s affairs. Her townhouse was simple enough, two bedrooms, one for her and one for Dinah (there was no need for two apartments when the two were close friends who could easily share), rented furniture and a large television that barely got any use with the long hours she was putting in, but it made her miss her apartment back in National City, and their cronuts. She took a swig of the coffee she had in front of her, her breakfast this morning. Her stomach grumbled as she fell deeper in thought about those cronuts when the squeaking of a glass door broke her concentration and she immediately refocused and straightened up in her seat.

Oliver Queen finally walked in and assumed his seat at the conference table, not before unbuttoning his navy blue suit jacket that accentuated the blue of his eyes and cleared his throat, signaling that the meeting could now finally start. Every other person in the room would go on as if nothing had happened, as if they hadn’t been putting their lives on hold waiting for Oliver to show up, but Felicity was not everyone, and she was not afraid to call him out on it.

“Did you enjoy sleeping in, Mr. Queen? Must be nice not to have any motivation not to get up in the mornings?” Felicity quipped raising her eyebrows and turning in the direction of Oliver.

“At least my motivation for getting up these days doesn’t involve destroying my company,” Oliver snapped back with a look in his eyes that Felicity couldn’t quite categorize.

“Mr. Queen, I’m not here to destroy your company. I’m here to save it, which you would know if you weren’t busy partying on the other side of the world,” Felicity replied back and turned back to face the table. “Now if we could finally start this meeting and we can all get on with our lives,” her eyes quickly flashed in Oliver’s direction before returning back to the papers in front of her. Oliver nodded when an investor looked at him for approval before starting.

\----------

“Send Ms. Smoak up please, would you, Ben?” Oliver set the phone down and gathered the various proposals littered around his desk and sorted them. Since the initial meeting about QC’s bankruptcy and how to proceed last week, the committee had thought it best to expand Queen Consolidated’s applied science division in an attempt to drum up enough profits to keep the company afloat. The Applied Science division was created under Oliver’s father Robert but with no one particularly technology savvy at the helm, it squandered in a company that was still in the past with technology. The committee’s hope was that Ms. Smoak’s penchant for the computer sciences would team up with QCAS in the hopes of releasing a product before the next quarterly meeting, where the committee would determine whether to leave QC as it was or dissolve the company and liquidate its assets and divide it amongst the shareholders.

The pressure for Oliver to keep his family’s legacy alive was becoming more and more pervasive. He had barely finished college and managed to scrape by to get his MBA but leading the company had its difficulties. Not to mention that technology and its division was not Oliver’s strong suit and he was struggling to understand the technical jargon that accompanied the multitude of proposals he now held in his hands. He knew he had no choice but to ask Felicity for help.

Oliver found his relationship with Felicity hard to define. They certainly weren’t friends, but they were on no terms enemies either. Sure, he didn’t set off the perfect first impression when he came in late to the quarterly meeting last week, but there had been a matter with his sister Thea to attend to that morning and the time had gotten away from him. There was no doubt in his mind that Felicity had now formed an unruly impression of him, most likely fueled by the garbage plastered across the tabloids from his earlier college days, before he had to get serious. He needed to find a way to get on good terms with her, the fate of his company laid with her.

Remembering the way Felicity hugged that coffee of hers at the meeting last week, Oliver called his assistant Ben again to bring in coffee for them, hoping to get on her sweet side. He found himself fixated on the meeting last week, the somewhat cute smile of hers when she felt the effects of the coffee coursing through her.  A grin broke out on his face as he slipped further into his daydream until suddenly he was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door, Felicity and his assistant Ben carrying a couple coffees in his hand. He raised his hand to signal for the two to come in and they walked up to his desk.

“You called, Mr. Queen?”

“Yes, I was hoping you could help me understand some of these proposals for Applied Sciences. I seem to be having trouble understanding the technical jargon.”

“Well, not all of us can have a two Master’s dedicated to technology.”

“None but you, Ms. Smoak” he added with a smile on his face, hoping to turn on the charm in recruiting her help.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Queen,” she said as she turned to Ben who stood to the side of Oliver’s desk, raising her arms to grab one of the coffee cups. “But coffee, now coffee will get you everywhere, and just might get you my help.” She sat down in the chair in front of him. “Shall we get started?”

He grabbed his coffee, thanked Ben as he made his way out, and sat down. “Let’s.”

The coffee cups had long been abandoned on Oliver’s desk as the two found themselves on the couch in Oliver’s office. After hours of explanations and clarifications, Oliver felt like he understood some of the proposal better now. He had a couple ideas on which one he’d suggest to the committee at the meeting next week. He made a mental note to mark them down before he left the office tonight as Felicity stood up off the couch.

“Well, will that be all, Mr. Queen?”

He stood up next to her and brought his hand up in front of her. “Yes, that’ll be all, Ms. Smoak. Thank you for your help.” She met him halfway and shook his hands and made her way out. She was halfway out of his office when he said, “Actually, just one more thing.”

She turned and looked back at him, eyebrows raised in confusion.

“It’s Oliver. Mr. Queen is- was my father.” His eyes suddenly became cloudy with the sudden thought of his late father. In that small sliver of a moment, Felicity didn’t see the tardy perhaps arrogant CEO in front of her, she saw instead a young boy mourning the loss of his father, trying to fill in his shoes.

“Of course, Mr. Que---- Oliver.” She flashed him a small smile in the hopes of lifting his spirits.

“Thank you, Ms. Smoak.”

“Felicity,” she said as she started her trek out again.

“Fel-i-city” he said, emphasizing each syllable, her name falling off his lips like smooth silk. He smiled as he watched her walk away. Oliver still had no idea if the two were friends now, but one thing was sure, they were something else.  

\----------

Something had changed that day in Oliver’s office, since that day,  Oliver would, again and again, invite Felicity over to help him understand the difficult terminology that often accompanied the various papers he received on his desk each morning, and Felicity would always come over and help him. Sometimes the two got carried away and distracted as the topic of conversation wandered from the benefits of a promising new piece of technology to their most embarrassing childhood moments. Conversation flowed easily between the two as they also took lunch together while in their “meetings.” It was safe to say the two were becoming fast friends.

“Alright, but if you don’t incorporate the mobile TAM then what’s attracting the VCs?”

“Awww, he’s not just a pretty face” Felicity exclaimed from her seat across Oliver at his desk. Oliver glared at her but his eyes twinkled with laughter at Felicity’s statement.

“But yes, you make a good point, if the mobile TAMs aren’t incorporated, then the VCs….” Oliver didn’t hear a word Felicity was saying, he was too caught in up how animated she was in her words. Her passion for technology could clearly be seen by the way her eyes shone as she went on into a tangent explaining anything and everything, her hands moving with her words, getting her point across. Oliver didn’t know when it happened but he found himself quite fond of her at that moment.

“Oliver, Oliver, are you listening?” she asked tilted her head in confusion. He shook himself out of his thoughts only to again find himself enamored, this time by how cute she looked in that moment.

He smiled at her, “Yes, sorry. Got a little distracted there.” She blinked, trying to understand his statement. She gave up and straightened her head, “Continue, please.”

She shook her head and continued on her tangent. As she spoke, Oliver’s thoughts again found themselves in dangerous territory but he reined himself in.

“Okay, we’ve just about covered everything we need to in this proposal. Is there anything else?”

“Actually, yes. I have one more proposal to get through before the committee meets on Monday.”

Felicity knew where this was going, she crossed her leg over the other, flashing her toned legs as the skirt of her purple knit dress. “Oh, is that so, Mr. Queen?” she teased him. They had long forgone formalities after that first meeting together but at times, they teased each other with “Ms. Smoak” and “Mr. Queen.”

“Why, yes, Ms. Smoak. It seems I still require your services tonight.”

“It’s gonna cost you, Mr. Queen.”

“What’ll it be, Ms. Smoak?”

Felicity started tapping her finger against her chin, drawing out the game they were playing. “Let’s see…. I’m thinking Chinese.”

“Done. You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Smoak,” he said as he stood up, ready to see her out.

“I’m a woman who knows what she wants, Mr. Queen,” she replied standing. “I’ll see you tonight,” she sauntered out of his office without a response from him. Oliver sat back in his chair leaning back, already missing the presence of a certain bespectacled blonde.

The Chinese takeout containers had long been abandoned on Oliver’s desk as Felicity and Oliver had moved to the couch hours ago. The proposal they were meant to look over only took two hours for Felicity to explain in layman’s terms to Oliver and for Oliver to ask his follow-up questions and laid on his desk. The two had been sitting on opposite ends of the couch but had gravitated towards one another, Felicity’s heels left on the side of the couch,  her legs crossed underneath her, just barely grazing Oliver as he held his head up with his arm on the back of the couch.

“So full Goth, like black hair, piercings, clothes as dark as your soul?” he asked. Somehow they had stumbled onto the topic of their college days and Oliver was surprised to learn that the bright beautiful blonde in front of him had a secret dark side to her.

“Yep, full Goth. Jet black hair with purple streaks, cargo pants and a nose piercing.”

Oliver chuckled, “Okay, now that I don’t believe. A nose piercing?”

“Yep,” she said popping the p.

Oliver inched closer towards her, his face just millimeters from hers with razor-sharp precision. “What are you doing?” Felicity asked a little breathless from the close proximity.

“Looking for a piercing hole.”

“You find it?” she teased him.

“Nope,” he pulled back just a little to look her in the eyes. “Just a cute piercing-free nose,” he said as he booped her nose with his index finger.

Felicity laughed, “Well, it was a long time ago. I was a different person back then.”

“What changed?” Oliver asked.

Felicity opened her mouth and closed it, trying to find the right words to say. Sensing her nerves, Oliver stopped her mid-thought, “I didn’t... I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to.”

She smiled at him, “Thank you.”

“If it’s any consolation,” Oliver moved closer to Felicity, their noses just barely touching, their breaths lingering, his eyes darkening, “I like the person you are now.”

“Do you?”

“I do,” in that moment, Oliver closed the small gap between them and kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm and there was something that felt so right. Felicity, shocked at first, was late in responding but then came in full force, reciprocating his actions and kissing him back.

Realizing the step they had just taken, Felicity had pulled back from the kiss and sat back, distancing herself from Oliver. Oliver sat there frozen, eyes closed, taking in the kiss they just shared.

“I should…. Uh… I should go.” She immediately sat up and put her heels back on.

“Wait, wait. Felicity, wait.” He stood up. Felicity was grabbing her coat off the chair in front of Oliver’s desk as he approached her, grabbing her by her elbow. “We should talk.”

“Uh… we can talk Monday before the committee meeting. We’ve gone over every proposal, you’ll do great. I’ll see you Monday, Oliver.” Not leaving any room for a response, Felicity hightailed it out of Oliver’s office leaving him confused and alone to ponder the night’s events.

That weekend neither Felicity nor Oliver got any sleep as both spent their time going back and forth over that Friday night when Oliver had kissed Felicity. Neither knew what this meant for them and now they were back in each other’s presence. Felicity had just walked into the building, dressed in a two-tone coral and deep purple dress and nude heels, and made her way to the elevator. The doors were just about to come to a close after Felicity situated herself inside when she heard a familiar voice shout “Wait, hold on!”

In came Oliver in a charcoal suit, slightly out of breath and now settling inside, the two now on opposite sides of the elevator, Felicity avoiding Oliver’s eyes, Oliver looking back at her every now and then, both unclear where to start, or rather how to start a conversation, the conversation.

Oliver straightened his tie and cleared his throat, “Felicity, can we talk?”

She turned and finally faced him, biting her lip she responded, “Sure.”

He turned to better face her, “So Friday night…. We uh, I um…….” Oliver was struggling to find the right words to say.

Felicity laughed, “Talking in sentence fragments is usually my thing.”

Oliver looked at her and let out a breathy chuckle. Felicity stopped him before he could talk, “Ol- Oliver. I think it’s best for both our sakes to keep our relationship professional. We were tired and things escalated that night. It meant nothing. We’ve just become friends and our main priority should be getting your company back in shape, right?”

Oliver took in her words and felt a little heartbroken. Since Friday, he hadn’t stopped thinking about their kiss or how he wanted it to happen again, that and more. Clearly, something had formed between the two of them and that kiss had proven that there were sparks, sparks Oliver was completely willing to test out. But she was right, she was here to help fix QC, soon she’d have to leave and then what?

The elevator dinged signaling that it was time for them to get off on their designated floor. The two stepped out and stood in front of the elevator, facing each other. “You’re right. It’s best that we keep things as before…. For the company,” Oliver resigned.

“We’re still friends. I’m still here to help you, to support you.” She flashed a small smile.

Normally, that smile of hers would have him beaming, but right now it felt painful. “I’ll see you inside. I have to see my assistant about something,” he said as he ran off to his office, leaving Felicity standing there.

Felicity knew she was doing the right thing by stopping them before anything else happened between the two of them, but it still tore at her heart. In the short few months, she had grown close to Oliver and between all the talks, the teasing and the borderline-flirty bantering, she had developed some feelings for him. But they had to remain professional. This was only temporary, soon she would be back in National City, where her life was, her friends, her home, her company. She sighed and started her walk to the conference room, ready for whatever today brought her.

\----------

“Mr. Queen and I have compiled the best possible ventures for Queen Consolidated’s Applied Science division and have laid out the risk/benefit ratios all in the papers in front of you today,” Felicity explained as she addressed the committee. “Our best choice would be the smart wearables proposed by Palmer Technologies. It’s efficient, cost-effective, and reliable seeing how Palmer Tech has currently been leading the field in smart technologies over in Keystone City.”

“Is this based on your professional opinion or your personal, Ms. Smoak?” said Mr. Powell, one of the board members of Queen Consolidated. Mr. Gary Powell has been a board member of the Queen family company since Robert took over. After the first committee meeting, Felicity had a clear idea of just who he was, to put it nicely, a traditionalist and knew they would butt heads.

Felicity pursed her lips, “I’m sorry?”

“The committee is well aware of Palmer Tech’s successes. I’m just wondering if your choosing his proposal is out of your professional opinion or your personal opinion, given your history with Mr. Palmer himself.”

Felicity knew what was coming, her hand that laid on her lap started to tighten, “And what history would that be, Mr. Powell?”

“I’m sure we’re all well aware of the romantic history between you and Mr. Palmer. How can we the committee be assured that you don’t have ulterior motives here?”

Felicity was ready to snap, “Mr. Powell, I can assure you that since my introduction to the committee, my interests have been for the betterment of Queen Consolidated. As for my personal life, which should not at all be a matter here to you or to anyone else, Mr. Palmer and I are merely close friends. His wife Anna was a close friend of mine and during the loss of his wife, I grieved along with Mr. Palmer and helped him through this difficult time.”

Mr. Powell was about to open his mouth when Felicity continued on, “Seeing how all our personal lives are of sudden interest right now, might I ask how your mistress in Coast City is doing, Mr. Powell?” He glared at her, “Or is it just my personal life that’s on trial today?”

Mr. Powell opened his mouth and closed it once, twice over before giving up on giving a response. “Now if we could all get back to the matter at hand…. Unless anyone else has something they’d like to address. Anyways, back to the matter at hand, I believe that the collaboration with Palmer Tech, along with Smoak Tech’s background in medical applications in our own collaborations will find QC’s Applied Sciences division profitable. Preliminary calculations show that not only will QC break even, but we will also turn a profit and clear our debt.”

The meeting continued on after the little snafu between Mr. Powell and Felicity, Oliver now stood addressing the committee before they all adjourned. “I’d like to take the time to thank this committee today. I know Queen Consolidated isn’t in the best of shape right now since my father’s… my father’s passing. But I have hope we will come back from this stronger. This company is my legacy and I will do everything I can to uphold.”

He started rubbing his fingers together against his thumb, his nervous tic presenting itself as his eyes reached Felicity, “There is one person, in particular, I would like to thank. Ms. Smoak, both Queen Consolidated and I personally owe our efforts to Ms. Smoak. QC has been lagging behind on the technological forefront under my father, and with the help of Ms. Smoak and her aptitude for technology and our Applied Science division, I have faith we will bring QC back not only to the height it once was but beyond it. It’s what my father would’ve wanted.”

A light round of applause echoed throughout the room as Oliver concluded his speech. Felicity looked at him with what he thought was pride (it was). He sat back down in his seat to collect his papers and notes as others started leaving the room. Felicity stayed behind and walked around the long rectangular conference table, drawing Oliver to turn his chair to face her.

“I knew you could do it.”

“I had some help,” he smiled remembering their little study sessions and meetings. The smile on Felicity’s face showed that she remembered too.

“You’re a good man, Oliver. You just need help remembering that at times.”

“Would be easier to remember with you by my side,” he teased.

His response was met with silence from Felicity. Although they talked in the elevator, clearly there were some things left unsaid. “I’m sorry….. I shouldn’t have….. I know what you said…..”

Felicity just smiled back at him and started to walk out of the room. “You know, I was wrong about you..” She turned back and tilted her head in confusion. “That first day, I came in late because of a hold-up with Thea and I walked in and there you were, ready to bite my head off and call me out. I knew I had already made a bad impression on you and there was no changing that. But then you proved me wrong…. Just like you’ll prove Mr. Powell wrong.”

Oliver stood from his seat and walked up towards Felicity. He trailed his hands over her shoulders and grazed them down her arms until he grabbed her hands in his. “I have feelings for you, Felicity. And you may not feel the same, but I need to know. If you feel the same, maybe there could be something between us, if you want, of course. If you don’t, I’ll respect that and we can go back to being friends and co-workers.”

“Oliver,” Felicity sighed. She couldn’t give him an answer, not here, not right now.

He slowly let their hands fall, “I understand, Felicity.” He took a step back, “I’ll be here when you’re ready.” He watched her as she exited the room, leaving Oliver and his heart bare.

Felicity walked out and ran into a wall of solid muscle, Oliver’s personal bodyguard and close personal friend, John Diggle.

“Oof,  I wasn’t paying attention. I’m so sorry, Mr….”

“Diggle. John Diggle. Mr. Queen’s bodyguard. A pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Smoak,” He stuck his hand out.

She returned the handshake, “So Oliver’s talked about us- I mean me?”

Another voice spoke up before John could answer, “Not Oliver, me,” said her bodyguard whom she had momentarily forgotten, Dinah as she walked up to the two.

“Oh, Dinah, there you are…. Wait, you two talk to each other?”

“John and I go way back actually, don’t we, John?” she said as she leaned her elbow back on his shoulder. Felicity definitely detected a sense of familiarity between them.

“We ran in similar circles in the bodyguard business. We had a couple clients that were mutual friends when I had a stint down in Central City before the Queen family hired me.”

“John was a real help to a rookie like me back then. I can’t thank him enough.” She leaned off of him and straightened her spine, her serious bodyguard side now on display, “Are we ready to leave, Ms. Smoak?”

Felicity was amused as these two and their camaraderie, “Yes, Ms. Drake, we may now leave,” playing along with the formalities. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Diggle.”

“Please call me John… or Digg,” he answered back.

“Okay, John.” Felicity headed towards the elevator as Dinah followed behind at a respectable distance but not before addressing John again, “Tell Lyla I said ‘hi,’ John,”

“Will do”

Dinah stepped into the elevator right behind Felicity.

“So what do you and John talk about while we’re in meetings?” Felicity inquired.

“Oh, not much. Work, families, when you and Oliver are gonna get together, office gossip.”

“Wait, what?” Felicity asked as the elevator closed and she locked eyes on John smiling and Oliver slowly coming up to him.

\----------

Two weeks ago, the committee had agreed on QC’s collaboration with Palmer Tech and the production and development on a new series of Smart Wearables or smart watches, equipped with biosensors meant to capture, diagnose, and interpret up to 15 medical conditions. Palmer Tech and Smoak Tech would handle the development of the biosensors meanwhile Queen Consolidated would create a new stronger and more efficient battery to equip the new installment of watches.

Felicity and Dinah were standing in the elevator, Dinah in her standard uniform, a fitted black suit and crisp white blouse, and Felicity in a simple color-blocked ribbed sweater and a long black pencil skirt with a slit up the front showcasing her long toned thighs accentuated by her black heels. They were waiting for the ascent to the conference room floor. Today’s meeting was on the progress update of the smartwatches. Ray was also coming in today to give an update from PT. Felicity’s thoughts drifted to Oliver, she was worried about him a little. The stress this all brought on him, it was taking a toll. She was there for him like she was before their kiss. That weekend following the kiss, she had been racking her brain, trying to figure out where they would go from there.

As she was trying to figure out how to go about her and Oliver’s “relationship,” Dinah broke the silence in the elevator, “So, did you get a chance to watch last week’s _The Brave and the Bold_ last night?”

“OH MY GOD, YES! Liam telling Steffy it’s over between the two of them and signing the annulment papers???”

“And then immediately going to Hope and proposing to her ON THE SAME DAY?!” Dinah exclaimed.

“I almost threw my ice cream spoon at the tv Saturday night.”

“Me with my popcorn,” Dinah answered with a chuckle.”God, I miss our watch parties.”

“Well, I’ve been busy,” Felicity admonished.

“Busy with Oliver Queen…..” Dinah added. “Felicity, I’ve known you for two years now. I know you pretty well. I can see that you like this guy. What’s holding you back?”

Felicity gulped, she leaned back against the railing of the elevator and slumped against the wall. “Are we doing this right now?” She turned and looked at Dinah incredulously, Dinah who with her hand on her hip was showing signs that she was not going to budge, “Really?”

“Well, normally I’d call up Lena and she’d be by my side and there would be coffee and cronuts  or ice cream involved, but yes now, yes really.”

Felicity sighed, “I’m scared, Dinah.”

Dinah stepped closer to Felicity and rested one hand above her head on the wall of the elevator, the other still on her hip, “Scared of what could be? Or scared of what might be?”

“Scared of what might be,” Felicity answered reluctantly.

“So you do have feelings for him?” Dinah asked.

Felicity stood there, contemplating her answer. She thought back on their first meeting, their little study sessions when she helped him, them talking about anything and everything, him talking about her father’s death, her about growing up with a single mother. She hadn’t even noticed the smile forming on her face, but Dinah had.

“I guess that answers my question.”

Felicity turned her head and raised her eyebrows at her, “Hmm?”

“Felicity, you’re smiling while thinking about him. It’s clear that you have feelings for him. What are you doing? Why haven’t you talked to him yet?”

“I’m helping him save his company, Dinah. There’s an extreme conflict of interest here, and the committee, I’ve already had enough trouble with that sexist Mr. Powell, and-”

Dinah interrupted, “Felicity, all of these are excuses not to go after him. If there’s one reason, just one to pursue whatever the two of you have going on, you should go for it.”

Felicity sighed, Dinah was right, everything she told her was a flimsy excuse not to put her heart on the line. She was the one who stopped them before anything happened between the two of them. Oliver certainly wasn’t gonna start anything between them now, out of respect for her. The elevator dinged, pushing Felicity out of her thoughts. She and Dinha walked out and stopped before the entrance to the conference room.

“So sushi for lunch today?” Dinah asked. Felicity, however, was distracted by one of the presences in the room, her eyes drifting to Oliver already seated inside, their eyes meeting. She gave him a small wave and he returned it.

“Hmm… Oh, yeah, sushi’s fine. I’ll see you downstairs afterward.”

Dinah laughed, “Not subtle at all, Smoak.”

“Shut up,” Felicity retorted.

“See you afterward,” Dinah said as she started walking backward away from Felicity. Felicity shook her head at her and walked inside. Oliver, seeing her come in, pushed an empty chair next to him out, and she took the seat.

“Good morning,” he said.

She returned his greeting, “Morning.”

“You look beautiful today,” he said.

A small blush broke out on Felicity’s cheeks, “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Queen.”

Before Felicity and Oliver could continue their conversation, Ray Palmer had walked in. “You guys validate parking, right? I came in on my helicopter and parked on your roof, hope that’s okay,” he chuckled.

“Mr. Palmer, thank you for coming in today,” said Mrs. Sato, a member of the committee and a long-time shareholder of Queen Consolidated. “Please, tell us how Palmer Technologies is faring in the production of your new smartwatches.”

Mr. Palmer began to speak on the progress of his smartwatches, the factory production in Keystone, the new design and upgraded features but Oliver kept getting distracted by Felicity, more specifically her skirt. The long slit up the front of her skirt was all too enticing and the tightening in Oliver’s pants proved it. But it wasn’t the skirt itself that was distracting Oliver. No, it seemed that Felicity was nervous, constantly changing her seating position every so often. Oliver was curious, something was bothering her, her mind obviously fixated on it.

A dangerous idea sparked in Oliver’s mind, he slowly moved the hand closer to her slowly down below the desk, thankfully the conference room table was not made of transparent glass like the walls and doors, and slowly grazed his pinkie finger up her thigh. Oliver felt Felicity still.

He started drawing his hand back, Felicity’s response only confirming that this was a bad idea. Oliver wasn’t gonna treat her like this, she deserved better. A feather-light touch to his hand stopped him out of his thoughts, Felicity had discretely lowered her hand to his, touching Oliver’s pinkie with hers, moving his along her thigh. Oliver moved his finger up again slowly and ever so softly and this time, she moved her hand away and let herself revel in the feel of his ministrations.

Her breath hitched as he inched higher and higher up her thighs. She knew Oliver had heard her but hoped that it was only him and nobody else at the table. Oliver continued his movements, further driving Felicity insane. She snuck a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, still looking like she was paying attention to the meeting at hand, and she could’ve sworn she saw the smallest hint of a smirk on Oliver’s face, that tease.

Her eyes were drifting to a close when Ray’s voice disrupted her enjoyment, “Ms. Smoak, how are we with the biosensors?”

Felicity shooed Oliver’s hand away as she began to explain Smoak Tech’s involvement, “Yes, the biosensors. Smoak Tech’s R&D team are on schedule with the biosensors and will be ready to mass produce as planned.”

“And how about you, Mr. Queen?” Ray asked.

Oliver placed his hand back on Felicity’s thigh, slowly caressing it as he answered Ray’s question, “Our Applied Sciences division is having a little trouble developing the battery, but I’m confident in our abilities to remain on schedule.”

“Perhaps, Smoak Tech can lend a hand to any difficulties you may be having.”

“I’m sure they can. Thank you, Mr. Palmer.”

“Please, call me Ray.”

“Oliver.”

“Anyways, that concludes our progress update. I think we can adjourn this meeting now and I can make it back to Keystone City in time for my favorite pizza shop to open.” Ray joked to the committee. Everyone started gathering their items and leaving the room, Oliver brought his hand back and went to checking his phone to see his schedule for the rest of the day laid out by his assistant Ben.

Felicity got up to leave when Ray stopped in front of her, “Felicity, can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure,” she replied, her eyes flashing towards Oliver who was unseemingly distracted on his phone.

“So, what did you want to talk about, Ray?” she asked him.

“I just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing, maybe catch up a bit over lunch later, if you’d like.”

“Oh, I already have plans for lunch today, but maybe some other time, Ray. Thank you, though.”

“That’s fine, no worries. I’ll see you at the launch party, right?”

“Of course.”

“Bye, Felicity.”

“Bye, Ray.” She watched Ray leave the room and turned back and saw Oliver staring back at her with a look on his face she couldn’t determine. She hesitantly started walking out the room and towards the elevator and could hear him following behind. The two entered the elevator and stood on opposite sides, a great deal of distance between the two in such a small confined space.

Seconds, maybe minutes passed, the tension getting thicker and thicker between them when suddenly the dam burst and the two went at each other, Felicity was pushed back against the wall with Oliver surrounding her, their lips a tangled mess, hands wandering everywhere. Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling Oliver in closer and closer. Oliver’s hands couldn’t settle on just one spot, falling from Felicity’s shoulders, down to her waist, before settling on her ass, pushing her skirt up her thighs, her legs slowly inching up his. She swiped her tongue on his lips, begging for entrance, which he gladly gave. Felicity started rolling her hips against Oliver, adding more friction between them.

Oliver’s pants were getting tighter by the minute, “Felicity,” he breathed into her lips.

“Oliver,” she whispered back before biting his bottom lip and then soothing it with his tongue.

Oliver pulled back, their face inches apart now, “We can’t….. I shouldn’t have…..”

“What?” Felicity asked confused. Oliver soon set her down and let her stand on her own. She straightened her skirt, there was no doubt she looked flushed, her hair slightly unkempt, her lipstick faded and her skirt slightly wrinkled. She looked at Oliver whose tie was slightly loose, a light pink color staining his lips, and his hair out of sorts too.

“I shouldn’t have done that. This was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

He pressed a button on the elevator and let himself out, leaving Felicity alone with her thoughts. Did he regret having feelings for her now? Did he not have feelings for her anymore? Had she misread the situation? Had they both misread the situation? A million thoughts were swimming around in her head as the elevator continued its descent.

\----------

It had been three weeks since Felicity and Oliver’s little elevator escapade, the two had been having minimal contact with one another but tonight, tonight was the night of the launch of Palmer Tech’s S2 Smart Watches and Queen Consolidated was hosting the launch party here in Star City. Oliver and Felicity would no doubt run into each other then, after all, the head of each respective company was due to make an appearance.

The party was well underway here the Starling City Grand Hotel banquet hall. Servers were making the rounds with trays of hors-d'oeuvres and champagne, monitors surrounded the walls with infographics, videos and even holographs of the new tech informing and entertaining the guests. Oliver was currently engaged in conversation with a fellow board member about the success of the launch, his front towards the entrance of the banquet hall. A quick glance at the door and he lost his train of thought as he watched Felicity walk in, a vision in red.

Felicity and Dinah walked in, their arms locked around one another, Felicity in a red one-shoulder dress and matching sandal heels with her hair down and curled, cascading down to her shoulders, and Dinah in a simple form-fitting black dress with a sweetheart neckline and cut-outs on the sleeves and black heels to complete the ensemble. He watched them wander and find a server and take glasses of champagne. Oliver had barely seen her since their time in the elevator. They had very few interactions since then, and when they did, they remained very professional but yet held back. Neither knew where they stood with each other right now.

Oliver knew he was playing with fire that day in the conference room, but Felicity had encouraged his actions. And then things exploded between the two of them in the elevator later on, but this time it was Oliver who had pulled back. He had messed up things between them before things had even started. He didn’t want Felicity to be like any of the women before he got serious, she deserved better than that. She deserved everything and he hoped he could be the one to give it to her if she would let him in.

His legs started moving before his brain could catch up and it looked like he was headed straight towards Felicity. This was it, no more holding back. The two of them needed to talk, to let it all out, and see what where to go from there. Nothing was going to get in his way, Oliver thought as he continued his trek across the banquet hall. Nothing except Ray Palmer walking up to Felicity and settling next to her, the two immediately engrossed in an animated conversation.

Oliver deflated and headed towards the open bar, far away from the two of them. “Scotch, neat,” he ordered. It was over for him, he knew Felicity and Ray were friends and clearly, Ray was hoping for something more to happen like he had. Clearly, he had a better chance at Felicity than Oliver did. Oliver resigned himself to his scotch when he felt two figures approach from behind and settle in next to him.

“It’s the time for celebrating, Oliver. The company isn’t bankrupt anymore. You should be happy,” John said as he stood to Oliver’s right facing him.

“What’s got you down, boss?” John asked.

“Perhaps, it has something do with my girl, currently across the room chatting up another guy,” said Dinah on his left, her back against the bar, her elbows back, looking all suave but still professional seeing how she still kept eyes on her boss/friend.

“Felicity,” Oliver sighed, “Is her own person. She can talk to whomever she wants. I respect that.”

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t wish it was you she was talking to instead of Palmer, now, does it?” John added.

Oliver didn’t respond but instead took another swig of his scotch and gulped it down.

“What even went down between you two?” Dinah asked.  “I managed to get some intel out of Felicity, but not nearly enough. Her mom’s right about her being a little pistachio.”

“I thought she hated me, we became friends, we kissed, she pulled back, and then, later on, I pulled back. Long story short, I messed things up before they could even begin….. If there’s even a chance of that now.”

“Have you and Felicity talked about what’s going on between you two?” John asked.

“Yes…..no….. Sorta.” Oliver answered. “She knows where I stand….stood….”

“And her?” Dinah asked.

“I…um, I don’t know exactly.”

John and Dinah both looked at Oliver, “It’s complicated, I mean she’s done her part with the committee, she’ll be leaving soon. We live in different cities. There’s nothing to do. I should just let her go.”

Oliver grabbed his glass to take another sip before John took it right out of his hands, “Not before you tell her _exactly_ how you feel, you don’t.”

“What the... John,” Oliver glared at him.

“Oliver…. You need to tell her how you feel.”

“John, she’s better off without me. I’m not smart like her, or Ray. They’d make a better fit.”

“Yeah, on paper. Not in real life,” Dinah interrupted. She took her elbows off the bar and turned to face the two men. “Listen, Oliver, I may not know you that well, but I do know Felicity. I’ve seen the way she acts around you, how she is when she talks about you. Trust me, she feels the same way. And you need to let her know that.”

“But I…”

“Yes, you hurt her, but she still has feelings. She’s more hurt at the possibility of you not feeling the same way as her.”

“But she’s…. And I’m….”

“Oliver,” John sighed, “Love isn’t about changing or saving a person. It’s about finding someone who’s the right fit. And the way you and Felicity have worked together, you two are quite a fit. Take it from an old married man.”

“You’re not that much older than me, John” Oliver chuckled,  

“Okay, enough of the bromance. Now, go get your girl. Go! Go!” Dinah gently pushed at Oliver, urging him to go find Felicity and resolve this once and for all.

Oliver turned and scanned the room, searching for Felicity.

“I saw her go that way with Ray, now go!” Dinah exclaimed as she pointed in one direction.

Oliver rushed off in the direction Dinah pointed to, he saw a flash of curly blonde hair exit the banquet hall, “Felicity,” he shouted hoping to get her attention. He ran out of the banquet hall and searched for where she had gone off. He saw her follow Ray into a secluded corner of the hallway. He slowly followed behind them. As he turned the corner, he stopped immediately in his tracks to the sight before him.

Felicity and Ray were kissing. Oliver’s heart shattered, his stomach dropped and his throat felt dry. He was heartbroken. He turned back before the two would notice his presence. He sullenly approached the banquet hall again but not before pulling himself together. He was still CEO of a major company and had a role to play tonight. A role that would keep him distracted from the pain he felt mere moments ago. A fellow partygoer approached him as he made his way across and the two were engrossed in conversation, Oliver’s mind may have been focused on the man before him, but his heart, his heart was still very much fixated on Felicity.

\----------

Three days had passed since the SmartWatch Series 2 launch party and Oliver and Felicity were settling in on Felicity’s company jet for a weekend getaway to National City. Ever since Smoak Tech and Luthor Corp set up their scholarship program for girls in STEM, they held an annual gala and invited not only the scholarship winners but their runner-ups too, as well as inviting other companies, investors and entrepreneurs to help the girls network. Just because they hadn’t won their scholarship didn’t mean they were undeserving of their chances to prosper in the science field. It had started as a little pet project of her and Lena’s, a way to give back and let others like Felicity reach the height of success she had, knowing the background she came from. It had since then blossomed into something wonderful, a way for Felicity to usher in a new generation of talented young females minds and let them nurture their passion for science.

Felicity had invited Oliver to represent QC at the gala early on in their flirtationship. The two hadn’t talked to each other since the launch party and Felicity could tell that something was up with him. Oliver had been acting different, more distant than usual. He had been silent since they boarded her jet. He sat a few rows in front of her, John was napping in the row behind her and Dinah. Felicity and Dinah were currently engaged in the next episode of The Bold and the Beautiful while snacking on some popcorn, per their tradition.

“The wedding’s been postponed!!!” Dinah shouted.

“And Liam and Steffy had their baby!!!!” Felicity squealed, dropping her soft gray blanket off her lap onto the floor.

Digg, half-awake grumbled, “Sorry, John,” Dinah said. She looked back at Felicity, trying to hold in her elation.

She cleared her throat, “So, what do you want to watch next? We’ve got maybe another hour left before we arrive.”

Felicity glanced over at Oliver in front of them, the slight movement of his broad shoulders let her know that he was awake, unlike his bodyguard right now. “Actually, I’m gonna check on Oliver.”

“Oh,” Dinah replied.

Felicity glared at her, “Don’t ‘Oh’ me.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Dinah admonished, raising her arms up in surrender.

Felicity grabbed her blanket and walked up to Oliver’s row and gently tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention. His hair was slightly tousled from laying his head against the window, his eyes slightly crinkled as if he had been sleeping. She raised the blanket up, silently asking him if he wanted it, and he nodded his head. She handed him the blanket and sat next to him as he laid the blanket on his lap. He was unsure where to look, the window or turn and face her, his hands doing that nervous tic of his where he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.

“You okay?” Felicity asked. “You’ve been pretty quiet this whole time.”

“Just tired,” he replied dismissively.

“I didn’t see much of you at the launch party the other night,” she added.

“I didn’t see much of you either.”

“I suppose Ray kinda stole me away for the night,” Felicity laughed.

A long silence came between them until Oliver broke it, “I saw you two….”

Felicity crinkled her eyes in confusion as Oliver continued, “The two of you kissing.”

“Oh”

“Yeah, ‘Oh,’” Oliver added. “The two of you are great together. I’m happy for you.”

“Oliver,” Felicity dragged his name, forcing him to look her in the eyes. His eyes met hers and she took a breath, “Ray and I did kiss that night but we are not together.”

She stopped him before he could interrupt, “Yes, he kissed me. But I pulled back and told him that it wasn’t right. That I was sorry if I did something to lead him on when I clearly had feelings for someone else.”

“Oh” was all Oliver had to say.

“Yeah, ‘Oh,’” Felicity said, repeating Oliver’s previous response back to him laughing.

Oliver’s melancholic appearance soon disappeared, a glint in his eyes appeared as he turned to face her fully, inching ever so closer to her. “So this someone else, do you still have feelings for them?” His voice barely above a whisper.

Felicity adjusted her glasses and moved her face closer to Oliver’s and whispered, “I do.” Their noses were just barely touching each other’s as they both moved their heads closers. “But I’m not sure if this someone else still has the same feelings towards me,” she added.

Breaths were exchanged between the two of them as they both took in the conversation that was happening. Oliver’s eyes were on Felicity and she stared back, both their pupils darkening and enlarging from the heavy tension in the air.

Their lips were just about to meet before a voice interrupted them with a clearing of their throat, Oliver and Felicity moved apart, Oliver nonchalantly gazing out the window again and Felicity addressing the pilot, “Um, Miss Smoak? We’re about to begin our descent to National City.”

“Thank you, Dennis,” she replied. She turned and looked back at Oliver, “Well, I, um, I should go back to Dinah.” She started getting out of her seat as Oliver grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Felicity?” Oliver took a breath, “After all this, can we talk?” Oliver asked.

She moved further, his hand falling as their fingertip grazed one another, “Soon, Oliver. Soon. I promise,” she said as she started walking back. Both Dinah and Diggle were smirking at her as they watched Felicity walk towards them and return to her seat. She ignored that and hid the small smile that was forming on her face. Oliver laid back in his seat, and snuggled the blanket to cover his chest, a grin breaking out on his face.

The group later descended down the passenger stairs and took in the sights of National City, a bright, sunny, fun metropolitan area. Felicity turned her phone back on and found multiple messages from Lena, when they would arrive, the status of her and Oliver’s relationship if they had landed safely, and etc. She texted back, easing Lena’s worries and letting her know that their lunch plans were still on.

She turned to face Oliver and John and raised her arms wide, “This is it…. my home, National City.” Oliver gave her a small smile. “So, we’ll take you to your hotel to unpack and freshen up and then we’ll pick you up for lunch and you two will meet Lena, the missing person in our trio,” she said with a sweet voice and a batting of her eyelashes.

“I’m sure she’s really excited to meet you two,” Dinah teasing Felicity. Felicity gave her a stare and then went walking towards their car. Two hours later, the gang had freshened up and had just sat down at one of National City’s most popular restaurants, waiting for Lena to arrive.

“Sorry I’m late, I got too caught up with my paperwork and forgot about the time until Hector ran in reminding me,” said Lena as she walked up to the large table. Felicity and Dinah both got up and hugged their friend, having been reunited with her after months. They all sat down, “Who knew changing the company name would require so much paperwork?”

Felicity looked at her in confusion, “Changing the name? No more Luthor Corp?”

Lena turned to face Felicity, on her right at the large circular table, “It was time for a change. To separate myself from my family. To continue making the company a force for good.” Felicity brought her hand over hers, her comfort and support providing more than mere words could.

“Anyways, enough about me. Introduce me.” She said pointedly to Felicity.

“Right, Lena, this is Oliver and his bodyguard John Diggle,” she said pointing to the two men also seated at the table with them. “Oliver, John, this is our dear friend, CEO of soon-to-be L-Corp, Lena Luthor.”

“It’s nice to meet you both, I’ve heard so much about you from Felicity and Dinah.” The two in mention giggled at Lena’s statement, thinking back on their various messages and numerous phone calls throughout the last few months.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard Felicity speak so well of you.” Oliver said putting on his best charm. He knew Lena was a good and close friend of Felicity’s and her thinking well of him would be nice. Especially after he and Felicity had that long-awaited talk.

The five of them soon became engrossed in conversation, ranging from topics like Oliver’s partying day and one particular incident involving a cop car, the girls’ annual summer trip to Coast City, and John and Dinah’s funniest moments on the job. Much to both Oliver and Felicity’s surprise, their most embarrassing moments with their bodyguards did not compare to some of the wilder moments of their previous clients. It was well into the afternoon when the group had gone their own ways, Lena back to the office, Dinah taking Felicity back to her home, and John and Oliver back to their hotel to get some well-needed rest before the big gala tomorrow night.

The following night, the gala was well underway, finger foods galore, an open bar for the adults, sparkling juice for the girls if they wanted to “be like the adults,” and each small table showcased one of the winners or the runner-ups and their projects that served as their scholarship submission. Felicity, Lena, and Dinah stood at one of the small tables, reconvening after getting ready and arriving together. Felicity was dressed in a long, sleek, nude dress with an open back, Dinah in a knee-length royal blue and black lace dress, and Lena in a sweetheart neckline black dress and her signature red lipstick.

“Wow, Hector and Jerry really outdid themselves,” Felicity said taking in the room and its opulent atmosphere.

“We owe them a big thank you on our behalf, and probably give them a raise,” Lena said agreeably.

“All right, I’m gonna go find the open bar, I’ll see you two later,” Dinah said as she walked off towards the bar, backward facing them.

Felicity and Lena laughed at their friend’s exit, Lena turned to face Felicity, “So…. where’s Oliver? I haven’t seen him. ” Lena teased.

“He’s by the…” Felicity caught herself, “Two can play that game, Luthor. Where’s that blonde reporter you keep texting us about? What was her name again, Kiera or something?” Felicity teased.

“Kara,” Lena immediately replied, she glared at Felicity. “Okay, okay. But I’m serious, Felicity. You two said you were gonna talk, so when is that happening?”

“I don’t know, I said soon, we’re just waiting for things to settle down. It’s not the right time.”

“Felicity, there will never be a ‘right time’. You gotta make the time,” Lena admonished.

“You should also take your own advice,” she said pointedly as she turned her head to gesture over at the blonde reporter in question only a few feet away from them. The two had clearly been making eyes at each other all night long. Felicity knew from Lena’s texts that she felt that something was there between the two of them when she was being interviewed by her. They had exchanged numbers and texted each other back and forth and Lena invited Kara to their gala, officially to write on it, unofficially to try and talk to her.

“Okay, fine. I’ll go when you go. Just go talk to Oliver. Figure this out. You deserve to be happy.”

Felicity thought it over, she and Oliver were essentially on the same page, or so they both thought. They both just needed to talk and get that verbal confirmation from one another. After that, they could decide where to go from there, what they were to each other and etc. There was still the matter of professionalism, she was a member of the committee for his company. Surely the other members would look down on their pursuing a relationship. All of a sudden, a lightbulb flashed in Felicity’s mind, an idea that could help them. She started scanning the room, “Where’s Oliver? I need to tell him something.”

“I think I saw him over there,” Lena recounted. Felicity veered off in that direction, before stopping before a broad muscular back clothed in a grey suit. She tapped him on the shoulder, not wanting to interrupt the adorable conversation he was about with one of the scholarship runner-ups about renewable energy. He turned and looked back and smiled, he leaned down to the middle-schooler and promised her he’d find her later so they could finish their talk. Felicity’s heart fluttered at him talking to her and the way he was with her.

He turned and faced her, “Hey,” he said in that soft voice of his that was somehow always reserved for her. “You look stunning.”

Felicity blushed, “Thank you. You look great.” She tilted her head up to see him better, the two just gazing adoringly at one another

“So what’s going on? Is everything okay?” Oliver asked inquisitively.

“I have something to tell you,” she took a deep breath, Oliver looked worried, she rushed to find her words. “I’m resigning…. From the committee.”

Oliver was shocked, the words pouring out of him, “No, Felicity, you can’t. This company needs your support needs your motivation, your wit, it needs you…. I…. I…. I need you, Felicity.” His hand slowly drifted to hers, slightly grazing her fingertips.

Felicity grabbed his hand in hers, “Oliver, you brought your company back up from bankruptcy. Yes, you had me and the committee, but that was you.” She started tearing up, “And I am so proud of you. I love you” she whispered.  

A shine in Oliver’s eyes let Felicity know just how much it meant for her to say that about him, she felt his thumb rub over her hand. “Felicity…I love you too” he whispered.

She flashed him a smile, she started laughing at just how long it took the two of them to get here, at this point, Oliver chuckled along with her.

“So what happens now?” Oliver asked.

She turned and looked at the room, heard the soft music playing and had an idea. “May I have this dance, Mr. Queen?”

Oliver smirked at her, she knew early on that he didn’t dance, but that smirk soon changed into a smile, “For you, Ms. Smoak?” He took his hand out, “It would be my pleasure.”

She took his hand and let him lead them to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her head seeking refuge on his chest as his hands sought out her hips, swaying the two of them together. The two were off in their own little world, seeking comfort in each other with the newfound knowledge of their requited love.

Felicity brought her head up, “Oliver, do you wanna get out of here?” He immediately nodded his assent. She brought her arms back down, grabbed his hand and the two were off, “I just need to say bye to the girls first, and you should probably say goodnight to Dig too.”

Felicity moved them around and about the gala, she spotted a flash of familiar dark hair, “Oh, there’s Lena” She moved them closer before she stopped in her tracks, Oliver’s chest brushing up against her back. Lena was currently preoccupied with the blonde reporter in question moments ago. In fact, the two were pretty much preoccupied with each other, seeing how they were currently making out.

“Oh,” Felicity said, “I’ll just text her in the morning. Let’s go find Dig and Dinah.” She again walked off, her hand still in Oliver’s dragging him behind. She stopped before the bar and saw John, “Oh, John there you are.”

John looked at the two of them and saw their joined hands, “So you two finally talked, huh?” he said taking a sip of his whiskey.

Oliver answered for them, “Yeah, we did,” he said looking at Felicity and smiling.

“Dinah owes me $50 then.” John chuckled.

“Speaking of, have you seen her? Oliver and I are going back to my place and I need to find her before we leave.”

“Actually, she told me to pass along a message for you. She was hitting it off with this one detective, Hall or something, and they went back to her place. She said she’d text you in the morning.”

“Oh, it seems like everyone’s busy tonight. Well then, good night, Dig. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She let go of Oliver’s hand and gave the man a hug, “Thank you.” She returned back to Oliver and his hand.

“Good night, John. I’ll call you if I need a ride in the morning.”

“Mhmm, I’m sure you will. Now off you go, lovebirds.”

The two took a cab and arrived at Felicity’s place, a quaint little townhouse on the outskirts of the city. After some distraction in the form of tickling and neck kisses, Felicity let the two inside.

“So, this is my place.” she gestured holding her hand out before him, the other hand still entwined with his, the two had become inseparable. “So do you want a tour, some coffee?” she asked.

“Maybe in the morning,” he whispered before he pulled her in for a kiss, their mouths melding together, the kiss different from all their previous kisses, a sense of reassurance and love between them this time.

“Morning’s good, morning’s perfect,” she said in between kisses.

“But I do want to see your bedroom,” he said, kissing down her face before stopping to give her collarbone a light nibble. She stretched her neck out, offering it to him, which he gladly took. She was caught up in the sensations he was making her feel before she stepped away, her hand still in his.

“Come on,” she pulled his hand, “Bedroom’s this way.”

She led them up the stairs and down the hallway of her townhouse and opened the door to her room, she was buzzing with anticipation, they both were at this point. So much had happened between them, all leading up to here and now, to them finally together.

“So this is my bedroom,” Felicity said, staring at Oliver, her breaths getting heavier and heavier with the dark look in his eyes. They stood before each other, just waiting, waiting for someone to make the first move, to tip things over, to take that final leap.

They both moved towards one another, smashing their lips against each other, just the sound of their heavy breaths and deep kisses filling the room as their hands moved all over, never resting in one singular spot. Clothes were removed as they found themselves on the bed, Oliver hovering over Felicity, his body overflowing with nervous energy, hers lying still buzzing in excitement, before he pressed the full weight of his body against hers, his hardness pressing down on her in the most sinful way as he worked himself down her body, licking, kissing, and biting anywhere and everywhere. A particular bite on her hipbone had Felicity thrusting up against Oliver, she felt his laugh on the spot.

Felicity brought her hand down to grab a fistful of Oliver’s hair and dragged him back up to meet her lips, giving her a filthy kiss, their tongues sliding against one another, barely exchanging breaths. They both pulled back for much-needed air.

“Oliver,” Felicity sighed, trying to find the breath and the words to tell Oliver that she was ready, he nodded his head and leaned over her, presumably to get a condom from her nightstand.

His boxers were discarded as were her panties and the condom placed as he stood before the bed and her.  Their eyes lingered on each other, a dark and stormy mixture of black and blue. He crawled back over her, this time letting her feel all of him without any clothing restrictions. He angled himself, pressing his length against her entrance, he looked at her, she nodded her assent and he thrust in. The room was filled with the sounds of their efforts; Felicity’s sighs and cries and Oliver’s grunting, their frantic kisses and their hips thrusting as they both chased their release.

They found a rhythm as Felicity slid her hands around and over Oliver’s shoulders and his back, her nails dragging against his skin. A set of deep thrusts sent Felicity over the edge, Oliver following soon behind. They fell back against the bed, Oliver pulled out and laid on his front next to her. Both laid on the bed, both sweaty from the exertion and trying to catch their breaths.

Moments passed and Oliver flipped onto his back and got up off the bed, presumably to find the bathroom. Felicity watched him walk, unashamed of his nudity and admired the view as he walked around the room. He came back with a wet washcloth in hand and wiped off the remnants of their extracurricular activities. Felicity then had her turn in the bathroom and Oliver waited for her in her bed after putting his boxers back on. He laid facing the bathroom and as soon as Felicity walked out, they caught each other’s eyes and smiled. She put on a clean pair of panties and a tank top of hers and immediately jumped back into bed and into his arms, snuggling up against his chest, his arm around her. She moved up to see him face-to-face and they exchanged more kisses, this time soft and sweet. They pulled back and their foreheads met, taking in the night’s events.

“So what happens next?” Oliver asked, nuzzling his nose against hers before giving it a kiss and moving his head slightly back so he could look at her.

“Well, there’s still the matter of us living in different cities,” Oliver looked slightly worried. “But that won’t be much of an issue once Smoak Tech expands and opens up a branch in Star City.”

Oliver’s eyes sparkled as a huge smile broke out on his face, “Really?”

“Yes, I mean, the company’s doing so well and my time in Star City has really opened up some connections for me,” she babbled on. “And coming back here this weekend, I love this place, I have for so long and it’s important to me, but it’s just not home anymore. So yeah, I’m moving to Star City. I…”

Oliver stopped Felicity with a kiss, long and deep and toe-curling as he brought his hand up to cup her face, holding her in, pouring the love he had for this amazing woman in front of him into that kiss. “I love you,” he breathed out.

Felicity smiled, “I love you too.” She pulled him back in for another kiss. This was it, they were finally together and were going to be together. They couldn’t be any happier.

\----------

Months had passed and summer rolled around which meant it was time for Smoak Tech’s summer camp program to begin. The project was born out of a Ladies’  Night Felicity had with Lena and Dinah a couple years ago when a few glasses in, the women reached the topic of their childhoods and Felicity regaled them with the time she had wanted to go this space camp but her mother couldn’t afford the costs and she cried in her bedroom for days. Now as a grown woman who was CEO of a multimillion dollar company who had more money than she cared for. She could give back. Yes, it may have stemmed from a sad childhood memory to fill this space in her heart that not going to that camp had left, but it blossomed into a wonderful initiative to not only get both boys and girls more physically active, but to also nurture their interests in school. The camp was in Keystone, and it had all the elements of a basic summer camp, activities such as swimming and arts and crafts, cabins with bunk beds and the traditional campfire. Additionally, it also held lessons in coding, building your own fighting robot and a state-of-the-art 3D printer.

Sure, Felicity wasn’t an outdoorsperson, but she had held her own quite well, especially with Dinah and Lena by her side. This year at camp was not unlike the others except for maybe a few small changes. Felicity was currently hosting an activity session on coding outside in the picnic area. She had assigned the children a small timed task and was waiting for the winner to be known. However, her focus wasn’t on the children at the tables before her, instead, her focus was on the archery class just beyond the picnic area, where her boyfriend was teaching kids how to use a bow and arrow.

Early on in their friendship-now-relationship, Oliver had mentioned how he took up archery as a hobby, which Felicity didn’t believe. Once she moved to Star City and the two were sleeping over at each other’s places often, he took her into his private gym and showed off his archery skills for his girlfriend. He proved just how well his aim was that day, in more ways than one.

A couple of weeks ago, when Felicity was getting the preparations ready for the camp, she had invited Oliver to join her for the trip, seeing how the two had become inseparable after her move. He immediately agreed and brought up the suggestion of adding archery. As much as he’d love to join her, he also wanted to contribute to the program and be involved. Seeing how the camp program could use a few more athletically-inclined activities, she agreed to it and implemented it into the program.

Now here they were, months later and still going strong. Sure, they had some tough days every now and then and some bad fights once in a while, but the two always came out of it stronger and came back to each other.

Oliver was a great addition, he was so good with the kids, she loved seeing them with him. He was currently helping a young girl adjust her grip on the bow when a sudden flash of a young boy with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes appeared in her mind, another of a young girl with long brown hair.

A voice pulled her out of her thoughts, “Miss Felicity?” a small little blonde girl with glasses asked. “We’ve finished the coding.”

“Oh, you have?” she asked. “That’s great. Who won?”

“Silvia did,” another voice, this time male shouted.

“Well, congrats, Silvia. That’s all for today, so why don’t you all go off and have some free time before dinner tonight?” She asked. The kids started shouting and squealing their excitement as they all ran off in different directions. She was watching a boy trip and then get himself back up when she felt a pair of strong familiar arms wrap around her.

Oliver started kissing her neck and working his way before ending with a kiss on her cheek and turned her around to face her, his hands on her hips.

“Have fun spying on me?” He teased her. He knew she brought her group of kids outside for their activity just as he was teaching archery today.

“Spying is such a dirty word,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her in closer. “I prefer observing.”

“Mhmm,” the two soon met each other in a kiss, their lips against one another, his tongue seeking entrance and her denying.

“Oliver,” she pulled back, “there are kids around.”

“I’m sure they know what kissing is, Felicity” he stated.

“Well, not like how you kiss,” she admonished.

Oliver rolled his eyes, he pulled back, letting her arms fall to his side as he let go of her, “Fine, I’ll see you at dinner. Gotta get back to my group.” He started walking off backward.

“Wait,” she said, she walked back up to him and pulled him in by his shirt, kissing the breath out of him, sliding her tongue in and against his doing a familiar dance and then pulled back. “I love you,” she patted his shirt, smoothing any wrinkles she may have caused from her tight grip.

“I love you too.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you'd like.


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